


Tequila Sunrise

by essential_invisible



Category: Sea Patrol (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23461516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/essential_invisible/pseuds/essential_invisible
Summary: Nobody ever makes good decisions on tequila. Buffer, Kate. Set during 3.06, Oh Danny Boy.
Relationships: Kate "XO" McGregor/Pete "Buffer" Tomaszewski
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some of the dialogue is taken directly from the episode.

:::

_“Bet you’d do a body shot off the X if she were here…”_

He’d brushed off the comments earlier, but three hours later he’s sitting on a couch watching the X down a shot with practiced ease, and his mind is wandering. His eyes linger on the smooth column of her throat, her neck and shoulders left bare by the strapless dress she’s wearing. He can see himself licking salt of her skin, imagine the taste of her mingled with salt and tequila, and he can’t help the low groan that leaves his throat at the idea. _Fuck Pete, what are you thinking?_

The problem, being, of course, that he’s not thinking. After Charge had brought out the guava mojo’s, and the X had turned up, having decided to join them after all, 2Dads had dared them all into a drinking game. They’re all blitzed, and he’d be surprised if any of them are fit for duty tomorrow. 2Dads and Spider had left for a poker game, while the others had disappeared somewhere into the night, leaving him and the X sitting on the couch, a half-empty bottle of tequila, a salt shaker and lemon wedges placed on the table between them.

So he focuses on Kate, on the way her tongue darts out to lick the salt from her hand, to the way she tips her head back as she downs the shot, and he doesn’t shy away from the desire building in his gut. He downs his own shot, leisurely sliding the lemon wedge into his mouth and sucking, the citrus biting through the tequila. He watches as she blinks slowly and bites her lip, her eyes trained on his mouth. _Well. That’s interesting_ , he thinks.

:::

Kate watches Buffer lick his lips after taking the lemon slice out, and bites her lip. _Fuck_ , why was that so hot? It’s Buffer, her friend and workmate Buffer – she turns her attention to the low table and refills their shot glasses. She picks up the salt shaker, but stops as his hand closes around her wrist. He’s moved closer to her, and she can feel the heat radiating from his body.

“Care to make this a little more,” he pauses, leans so that his face is mere inches away from hers, “interesting?”

Kate blinks, her eyes dropping to his lips for a moment before she looks back at him. “Interesting how?” She asks, letting him draw her hand between them, before he plucks the salt shaker from her loose grip. His eyes fall to her neck, and she can feel the flush rise on her skin.

Buffer raises his eyebrow; a questioning look on his face. As if in a trance, she nods, tilting her neck slightly. She inhales sharply as he carefully brushes her hair from her skin, his calloused fingers dragging across her neck. Kate bites her lip again and tries not to think about how those fingers would feel elsewhere, even as he dips his head. Her hand clenches around her dress, gathering the material tight in her fist as she holds her breath, waiting. A second later, the smooth slide of his tongue against her neck has her closing her eyes, before she feels the soft grains of salt land on her throat. She opens her eyes to see Buffer’s dark eyes staring at her, before he lowers his head and licks at the salt on her skin. Kate can’t stop the low moan that leaves her mouth at the sensation, and she watches as he pulls back slowly and drains his shot glass. She slowly picks up a lemon wedge and lifts her hand to his lips, offering him the lemon. She can feel his breath on her hand, and then his lips close around her fingers and the lemon. Kate shudders as he sucks on her skin and the lemon, the sensation seeming to pool low in her belly. _Shit Kate, what are you doing?_

She lowers her hand, letting the lemon fall into the bowl with the others, and licks her lips instinctively, her mouth suddenly dry. She reaches for the salt shaker, and then looks up at him, her eyes wide. She knows that letting tequila make her decisions for her never really works out in the end, but right now, as she eyes the dip in his collarbone, it seems like the best idea she’s ever had.

She smiles wickedly, shifting closer to him “My turn,” she murmurs, reaching up to stroke the skin of his neck. He doesn’t have hair to brush away, but she’s fascinated by the way his Adam’s apple moves as he swallows, and she can’t help but let her tongue dart out for a taste, before she pulls back to sprinkle the salt on his skin, licking her lips. He tastes of clean sweat and soap, the underlying taste of his skin sending her pulse humming. She waits a moment, her eyes trained on his, watches his pupils dilate before she turns back to the tiny grains of salt. He’s tense, and seeing his breathing pick up, she leans up and licks the salt from his skin, taking her time to ensure she’s got all the grains. He’s breathing heavily by the time she’s done, and she feels a certain satisfaction in knowing that she can make him react like this. She reaches to the table and picks up her shot glass, draining it, without looking away from him. His eyes are hooded as he offers her the lemon, and she keeps her eyes trained on his as she carefully takes the wedge into her mouth. She sucks on the citrus, relishing the acidity, before she releases his fingers with another smile.

“Fuck,” he whispers, and she likes knowing that she’s not the only one having trouble with this. A loud, raucous cheer from the bar pulls them apart, and Kate slides back, inwardly unsure if she’s relieved if the moment has been broken. Her eyes catch on Buffer’s arms, and she trails her fingers across the ink across his bicep before she knows what she’s doing. “So why the tattoo’s? I don’t get the attraction,” well, for herself, anyway. The ink on Buffer is doing wonders for her right now.

“It’s a form of self-expression,” he starts.

“It’s an infliction of pain,” she interrupts, her fingers still tracing the heart and wings design on his arm.

“There’s a fine line between pleasure and pain, Kate,” he says, his voice low. “Especially for something special,” he finishes.

Kate sucks in a breath, her eyes not leaving his. His words go straight to her gut, and she can’t help shivering. _Who knew words could be so hot?_ She moves her hand, suddenly realizing she’s still touching his tattoo, and turns to pour more tequila into their glasses. She forgoes the salt and lemon, downs the tequila straight in an attempt to centre herself again.

“My mate Paulie’s got a shop not far from here,” Buffer says, eyeing her with a grin on his face. “Best ink-boy in south-east Asia,” he pauses, and she really doesn’t like the look in his eyes right now. “I think,”

“No!” she interrupts, already knowing where he’s going with this.

“C’mon, Kate,” he holds her hand, moves her fingers back to his tattoo. “Live a little,” he says.

Later, Kate’s not sure if it’s the tequila or the look in his eyes that makes her agree to at least go to the parlour with him. They sneak the tequila and salt out with them, laughing as they scramble through the door and hail a cab. She piles in after him, collapsing in a fit of giggles against him as he tries to give the driver directions, before giving up and just saying, “Paulie, for tattoos.”

At the tattoo parlour, he stands behind her, helping her look through designs as they take turns sipping from the bottle. She leans back against him when he spills a little on her shoulders, and then licks it up, pressing his lips against her skin. “Where are you going to get it done?” He asks, his voice low.

“Hmm?” She’s feeling hazy, her attention split between his voice and his fingers gently stroking her hip. “Shouldn’t I decide what I’m getting first?” Too late she realizes that she’s tacitly agreed to get a tattoo done, and she turns her head to see the wide smile on his face. _Fuck_. She thinks she would agree to a lot of things if he smiled like that all the time. She reaches down with one hand, traps his hand against her, “my hip,” she says.

“Good choice,” Buffer replies, his fingers tangling with hers. “For a first tattoo, it’s a good place. Easy for you to look after,”

“Easy for me to hide,” she interrupts, before her eyes fall on to a small design. “This one,” she says, tapping on the image. “But a little different.” She turns back to him, drinks from the bottle before passing it back, “but if I’m getting a tattoo tonight Buff, so are you.”

Buffer’s eyes don’t leave hers, even as he lowers the almost empty bottle and puts it on the desk with a dull thump. “Sure X, whatever you say.”

Her eyes fall to his lips, and she wonders what he’d taste like, and if it would ruin their relationship if she reached up and kissed him right now. She’s this close to saying, fuck it, and doing it, when a man steps through the curtain.

“Buffer!”

“Paulie, my man,” Buffer says, spinning her around so that he can introduce her. “This is Kate, she’s going to get her first tattoo.”

He deals with all the necessities, and she barely has time to think before she’s lying on the chair, and he’s holding her hand and whispering in to her ear. “Time to pop that cherry, Kate.”


	2. Chapter 2

:::

Her alarm buzzes insistently next to her, and Kate groans, slapping at it blindly. Her head is killing her, and each consecutive ring seems to pierce her skull. Finally, she manages to switch it off, before she lies there, head pounding. What the hell had happened last night? Her mouth is dry, and her gut is churning. _Fuck_ tequila. She groans again, pulling herself out her rack, hoping that she hasn’t woken Nikki up. Blinking blearily, she staggers into the bathroom, swearing as she stumbles into the chair on her way.

Minutes later, feeling slightly refreshed after brushing her teeth and washing her face, Kate finally notices the steady thrum of pain emanating from her hip. Pulling her tank top off, she’s flummoxed by the bandage she can see peeking out over her shorts. Edging her shorts down, she peers at the square patch taped to her skin. It’s about the size of her hand, and sits just above her hip bone. Warily, she peels at the edges, not sure if she really wants to see what’s underneath.

A tattoo.

_Fuck my life_ , she thinks. What on earth had she been thinking? She tapes the bandage back down and leans against the sink, running a hand over her face. What the hell had happened last night? She remembered finishing her paperwork, and then deciding to join the crew for drinks after all. There’d been multiple guava mojos, and a _lot_ of tequila. The others had disappeared and then it had just been her and Buff – she groans again, the memories coming back to her in a flash. Sitting in the crowded room, pressed against him on the couch as they slammed back shot after shot. Her face flushes. Fuck, she’d _licked_ his neck. Worse, _he’d_ done a shot off her as well – she shifts, uncomfortable with the memory of exactly how arousing she’d found it at the time.

A knock on the door startles her out of her thoughts. “Kate, are you okay?” Hastily she whips her shirt back on, making sure that the bandage is hidden, before she opens the door. “I’m fine Nikki,” she starts, before hastily moving out of the way as Nikki bolts for the toilet, a green tinge to her face. “I’m guessing you’re not, though,” she says under her breath, before sighing and moving to hold Nikki’s hair out of her face as she retched.

“Ugh,” Nikki groaned after she’d finished brushing her teeth. “I swear you drunk more than me last night – you and Buffer practically finished a bottle of tequila between you before I left – how are you not the one dying right now?”

Kate shrugs. “I don’t throw up after drinking,” she says. “Never have.” No, instead, she makes dumb, life changing decisions while drunk, she thinks. Like doing body shots off her buffer, and then letting him talk her into getting a tattoo.

“What happened to you two, anyway? I must have crashed before you got back.”

Kate gives a small laugh, and hopes her face hasn’t turned red. The incredulous smile Nikki gives her puts that hope to rest. “No way, you and Buffer?” She hisses, stepping closer to Kate.

Kate shakes her head, flushing further. “No, nothing like that,” she hedges. It’s not entirely the truth, but it’s close enough.

“You’re blushing!” Nikki crows, leading them to Kate’s rack, where they both sit down. “C’mon, give it up.”

Kate thinks back idly to her first few weeks on the Hammersley, and how she and Nikki hadn’t really gotten along. Now, Nikki has no qualms about approaching Kate for what she calls mandatory girl talk, even though Kate is her superior officer. She guessed this applied. “Well, keep in mind, there was a lot of tequila involved.” She starts, her hand moving to her shorts and nudging down the side far enough that Nikki can see the bandage.

“Kate McGregor, did you get a tattoo?!” Nikki asks, a shocked look on her face, before she bursts out laughing. Kate rolls her eyes, waiting it out. “Sorry, sorry,” Nikki says as she catches her breath, “it’s just, I can’t imagine you getting a tattoo!”

“Yeah, well, I think there was more tequila than thinking involved in that decision,” Kate mutters, sighing.

“And I bet Buffer had a fair bit to say ‘bout it,” Nikki says, a sly smirk on her face. Kate ducks her head, sure that the blush on her face is permanent. From what she could remember, she’d been the one to bring up it up – god, she’d been practically caressing Buffer’s tattoos. “So c’mon, what is it?”

Kate hedges. She hasn’t had a proper look at it yet, and she supposes she should make sure that it’s something she can live with. Not only that, she has no idea how to look after it. She covers her face with her hands, groaning. “Ugh, if I ever think about tequila again, Nikki, just remind me of this morning, yeah?”

Nikki laughs again, before she tilts her head, her eyes sharp. “Kate – weren’t you wearing a _dress_ last night?” Kate bites her lip. “Exactly how did you get your tattoo without flashing everybody?”

“I didn’t _flash_ anyone,” she replies. She hadn’t – she remembered, somewhat hazily, Buffer tugging his shirt off and draping it over her hips, his eyes closed until she was covered. She’d been touched by his gesture, and had squeezed his hand thankfully, before she’d told the artist she was ready, Buffer’s voice in her ear, egging her on. 

Nikki’s response is cut off by the sharp bell of the tannoy, and the two of them wince simultaneously, the high pitch setting off Kate’s headache. Mike’s voice on the tannoy follows, calling for them to muster on the boat deck. They exchange a glance, and Kate is a little worried. Their orders must have come through, but it’s not like Mike to not discuss it with her prior to letting the rest of the crew know. A night spent in a foreign port doesn’t always pass peacefully, and she can only hope that no one’s been hurt.

They hurriedly change into their DPNUs and head to the boat deck, Kate standing behind Mike as Nikki joined the rest of the crew. Her eyes drift to Buffer before she can stop herself, and she’s surprised to find that he’s looking at her in turn. They stare at each other for a moment, before Mike speaks, drawing her eyes away, though she can still feel his dark eyes on her.

She winces imperceptibly when Mike turns a disappointed gaze on her and the rest of the crew as he tells them about RO. Kate frowns, disappointed in herself, a little. The last she’d seen of Robert, he’d been with 2Dads, Spider, Charge, and Swain. She pulls off her cap, and fishes out some money, before taking it around the others. She avoids looking at Buffer for a long moment, but his hand brushes against hers as he drops the cash in, and she can’t help but look up. He’s looking at her still, his dark eyes intense. The last time she’d seen them like that, he’d been about to lick salt off her skin. She swallows, before turning around and leaving them to it.

:::

After the ship is loaded, Kate bites the bullet and approaches Buffer, cornering him in the mess. “Tattoos, Buffer?” She hisses, shutting the door behind her.

Buffer shifts, his hand drifting over his shoulder. “C’mon X,”

  
“If you finish that sentence with ‘live a little’, I am going to kill you,” she interrupts.

He holds his hands up, placating, “okay, I wasn’t going to go there, X.” He tilts his head, his eyes falling to her hip. “How’s it feeling?”

“Like I had a needle jabbing into my skin for a couple of hours,” Kate scowls. “How do you think it feels?”

Buffer shrugs, a rueful smile tugging at his lips. “Well, I mean, mine’s a bit itchy, but it’s your first one, we need to take care of it.”

“We?” She questions, raising an eyebrow.

“Somehow I don’t think you’ll be willing to let Swain or Bomber have a look at it,” he replies.

Kate shakes her head – he’s got a point. “God, why did we drink so much?” It’s more of a rhetorical question, but he replies anyway, the smile still on his face.

“’cause it seemed like such a good idea at the time?”

“So how do I look after it?”

“Aftercare is really important – especially with what we do.” He starts, taking her through the importance of keeping out of the ocean, and letting it heal naturally. “Can I take a look?” She shoots him a look. “Nothing like that X, it’s just we’d had a lot to drink, and alcohol thins your blood – it’s not usually recommended before getting a tatt done. I just want to make sure nothing got messed up.”

Christ, she hadn’t even thought of that. Kate looks at him, and then behind her at the closed door uncomfortably, before deciding what the hell. It’s not like she was going to be able to keep it a secret anyway – nothing was sacred on the Hammersley. She carefully pulled up her t-shirt, lowering her pants a little to expose the bandage. His fingers are rough, but gentle on her skin as he peels the bandage away, and she feels her breath hitch a little at the touch, and hopes he hasn’t noticed. His eyes are focused on the ink being revealed, and they fly up to hers, a stunned look on his face. Alarmed, she looks down, and gasps softly as she takes her first real look at it.

The ink is stark on her pale skin, and despite the underlying redness surrounding the design, it’s beautiful. It’s an old anchor design, about the size of her palm, surrounded by what seem to be stars in an abstract design. Where the rope would normally be wound through, there is writing instead. She tilts her head, scrutinizing the words – ‘ but never hold me down’. There’s something familiar about that scrawl – “is that your writing?!” she asks, her mouth dropping open. She hadn’t even known that was possible for a tattoo.

“Well, I guess that solves one mystery,” is all he says, ignoring her comment. His eyes are heated as he looks at her though, and she knows that she’s right, that it his handwriting branded on to her skin. He pulls off his t-shirt, turning a little so that she can see the bandage on his upper shoulder.

She bites her lip, and tries to avoid staring at his abs as he turns around. The bandage is of the same size as hers, and she feels a sense of panic as she reaches up to carefully peel the edges away. “Oh,” is all she can say as she takes it in. It’s as beautiful as hers is, a stylized compass with the same pattern of stars surrounding it, but her eyes are drawn to the handwriting standing in as the line from west to east – it’s _her_ handwriting on his skin, scrawling out the words ‘be the one to guide me’. Her stomach flips, and she understands the heat in his eyes all too well. There’s something primal about seeing herself on his skin. She mentally shakes herself, dislodging the thought, and instead focuses on the other glaring factor.

“We got _matching_ tattoos?” The dismay is easy to hear in her voice. She is never going to live this down.

Buffer pulls his shirt back on, and leans against the table. “Look, I’m sorry X, you were drunk, I should never have - ”

“No, don’t be silly, Buffer.” She heads him off. “I may have been drunk, but so were you. I’m responsible for my own actions.” She steps closer, places a hand on his shoulder. “I knew exactly what I was doing.” He looks up at her, his eyes searching. Her words have double meaning, but she’s telling the truth. She’d known exactly what she was doing when she’d agreed to get a tattoo (though she was still a little hazy on the choosing process), and before that, when she’d agreed to body shots. It was the after that was still a bit of a blur. “What happened after the tattoo parlour?”

“What?”

“It’s the last thing I remember clearly – you’d had your tattoo done, and we’d paid the artist – and then, from there it’s a blank. I don’t even remember coming back on board,” she elaborates.

“Oh,” he says. There’s a dull flush rising on his cheeks, and the tips of his ears are red.

“Buffer?”

“Nothing to worry about, X, I promise,” he hastily reassures her. He’s still red though, and she knows there’s something he hasn’t told her.

She’s about to reply when someone turns the handle on the door behind her, swinging it open. Charge walks in, a look of surprise on his face. “Oh, sorry X, Buffer,” he gives them a questioning look. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Nothing to interrupt, Charge,” she says, thankful that their uniforms seem to be in place. She doesn’t want to think of where his mind would have gone. She turns back to Buffer, her eyes serious. “I’ll talk to you later Buffer,” she says, and leaves the _‘and you had better tell me the truth’_ unsaid.

:::

Kate giggles, the bottle slipping from her fingers. Buffer catches it, his own laughter dying off as he drains the bottle, before letting it fall to the ground beside him. Kate smiles at him, her hands reaching out to trace the contours of his face, breaking out into giggles again as he pulls her onto his lap, her knees digging into the grass. She’s pressed against him, and the heat radiating from his body is encompassing. She leans in, her lips meeting his in a gentle kiss. Her fingers curl around his shoulders, holding herself upright as he deepens the kiss, his hand fisting into her hair and tugging her closer. She moans as he drags his mouth away from hers, kissing his way down her neck, before nuzzling at her jaw and returning to her mouth. Kate returns the kiss, running her hands over the muscles of his back, playing with the edges of his muscle shirt. His other hand cups her hip possessively, before smoothing down the crumpled hem of her dress, his hand hot on her bare thigh. Kate hums against his mouth as his hand drifts up, stroking her skin –

Her eyes flying open, Kate stares up into the darkness, her breathing unsteady as she slapped at the alarm that had woken her. What the _hell_ was that?

:::


	3. Chapter 3

**:::**

"X, wait, I need to talk to you about something."

Kate stops, waits for Nikki to catch up. "Sure Nikki, what's up?"

The brunette looks up and down the passageway, before pulling Kate aside into the officer's mess, her voice hushed. "X, I don't know what happened between you and Buff –"

"Nothing happened!" Kate interrupts, whispering harshly.

Nikki shakes her head. "Look, all I know is that Spider was mouthing off to Buffer about something, and he is _fuming_. He upended the laundry, has Spider cleaning it from top to bottom." She pauses. "But you know how this ship is – if I've heard something, well, then…"

"Then everybody's heard something," Kate finishes, closing her eyes. She can feel a headache coming along. "Thanks for telling me Nikki, I'll deal with it." She watches the younger woman walk away before slumping against the wall, rubbing her temples. _Christ._ She can't seem to catch a break. First the tequila and tattoos, then that dream – now this.

Kate shakes her head, breaking the train of thought. She needs to find Buffer, figure out what she needs to do about Spider. She turns to walk down the passageway and stops short as she sees Buffer coming up the stairs. She turns around again. Just because she needs to talk to Buffer doesn't mean she actually _wants_ to talk to Buffer.

"X - " She stops short, inhales. She needs to deal with this. "Can I have a word?"

Kate spins around, makes a show of looking at her watch so she doesn't have to meet his eyes. "Sure."

Buffer looks up and down the passageway, clearly looking for anyone who may be listening.

"Deja-vu," she whispers to herself. Nikki had done exactly the same thing just minutes earlier. She shakes her head at Buffer's questioning look. "Never-mind, go on."

"I just – about the tattoo's," he starts.

"Look, you really don't have to explain," Kate says. She really doesn't want to talk about this again, not right now. "Not about that, anyway. What does Spider know?"

"How did you – " he shakes his head, before continuing. "Just that we left the bar together, but it was enough for him to say something smart," he says. "Trust me, he won't be saying anything else once he's done with the laundry room." Her eyes drop to his hands as he gestures wildly, and her stomach does a slow flip, remembering his hands on her thighs, the slow drag of callused fingers pressing against her skin.

They both straighten as Williams comes down the passageway, giving them a quick glance before looking away. Buffer steps closer to her, letting the young petty officer pass behind him and down the stairs. She inhales softly, looks down as he steps back. She'd almost reached out and touched the tattoo on his arm. _What was wrong with her?_

"I don't want anything to affect our relationship," he starts. She finds herself nodding as he continues, "I think we work really well together, and we always have – you watch my back, I watch your back." She keeps nodding. "In a professional way," he adds hastily.

"Yes, of course," she says, just wanting this train-wreck to be over.

"Am I making myself clear here or…"

"Yeah, yeah, absolutely," Kate says, starting to walk away. "Look Buff, don't stress, really, it's a non-issue" she finishes, giving him a final look before she re-enters the officers mess. If only she could take that advice herself, she muses as she shuts the door, before leaning against it.

At least she hadn't asked him about the dream, she thinks to herself, placing a hand over her stomach. The feeble attempt to calm herself doesn't work. She'd had a moment where she'd thought that maybe the dream had been a memory, but clearly she she'd been wrong. That was good though, it meant that she had nothing to worry about. Buffer had made his feelings on the matter perfectly clear, and once she wrangled her hormones and wayward thoughts back, she'd be fine. She just has to stop thinking about the soft slide of his mouth against hers – .

"God Kate, get a grip," she scolds herself. She's an adult, and she's a professional. She can get over this.

In a few minutes, when she answers the call to go to the laundry room and sees Mike, 2Dads and Spider crowding around a box, she almost feels relieved at the sight of the bomb. Her mind clears, focusing on the problem at hand.

:::

Once the adrenaline dies down and they join the crew at the bar, Kate wonders if she should try the tequila again. Maybe it'll make the last couple of days disappear. A shot? The bottle? She decides against it, turning back to the crew just as Buffer walks in, and bites her lip as Swain asks to see his tattoo again. They're sure to recognize her handwriting, and while she knows now that nothing happened that night, it's not really the image she wants the crew to have of her. Buffer won't be able to hide the tattoo forever though, and so she merely shrugs her shoulders when he looks at her.

Buffer pulls his t-shirt up, holding it in place as Swain peels back the bandage. "Looks good, Buff – " his voice trails off and he gives Kate a quick glance, before hurriedly pressing the bandage back into place.

"Something you want to share with the crew, Buffer?" He grunts as Buffer's elbow finds his stomach, and then laughs. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed," he says quietly to Kate, smiling.

Kate slumps on the couch, freezing as Buffer settles in next to her, casually placing his arm behind her. His skin is warm against hers, and she can't help the instinctive shiver at his touch. Her shoulders and upper back are bare, and suddenly she regrets wearing the maxi dress.

"Uh, X, Buff…" Spider runs a hand through his hair, a sheepish smile on his face. "I guess it's my shout then? What'll it be?"

"The most expensive drink in the house," Buffer says.

"Two," Kate adds, though she's still not sure exactly _what_ Spider had said to Buffer. It can't have been good though, and she's willing to trust Buffer's judgement when he says that Spider won't bring it up again.

"Guava mojo?"

"Did someone say guava mojo?" Charge calls out, holding a tray of drinks as he spins around. The crew cheer, and she watches as Spider flops onto the couch next to Nikki. _So much for his shout_ , she thinks, amused, before accepting the pink drink from Charge. She clinks her glass with Buffer's in a quick toast with the crew, and then sips slowly.

"You alright, X?" Buffer asks, his voice low. It sends a tingle down her spine.

She nods, taking a larger sip from her drink. She's already a few drinks behind the others, and while she's not planning on getting drunk, she knows she's too wound up at the moment.

"And us? We're okay?"

"Yeah, we're good Buff."

"Good," he says, and taps his glass against hers again before leaning forward to talk to Bomber. His thigh presses against hers slightly as he shifts, and she drains her glass, fighting the urge to either move closer.

She needs to get over this, fast.

:::


End file.
